Alberto kicks tropics into early gear.

Words by John Streit. Photos by Shaun Devine and John Streit.

Officially, the Atlantic Hurricane Season starts June 1.

But an unstable atmosphere off of the Southeast over the Gulf Stream gave East Coast surfers an early tropical treat.

Two weeks prior to the start of the season, Tropical Storm Alberto gained steam over the 80-plus degree water near the Bahamas to deliver a few, much-needed, days of southeast medium period swell focused on the Mid-Atlantic coast.

While Alberto never came together enough to produce hurricane-force winds, it did fetch enough ocean surface to send head-high surf to the Outer Banks, and fun waist- to chest-high surf to Virginia Beach. Even better, the storm never made landfall and stayed far enough out to sea to send us high-quality waves with very light local winds.

S&A team riders Shaun Devine, John Streit and friends made the journey to the Outer Banks to make the most of Alberto’s juice on Tuesday, May 22. The day highlighted why the Outer Banks are considered a mecca for beachbreak surfing; as the boys encountered sub-sea level drainers, punchy high-performance walls and groomed tubes — all within a 20-mile stretch of coast.

According to weather forecasting site Accuweather.com, storms like Alberto look to be more prevalent this season; as evidenced by the formation of Beryl just a few days after the exit of Alberto. This setup also bodes well for East Coast residents, as these storms tend to not be as destructive as the Cape Verde hurricanes that gain steam across the entire Atlantic basin before threatening the Caribbean and U.S. mainland.

Let’s hope this forecast translates into an active, wave-rich summer!